Unlike other young musicians who sing about love they don’t understand, politics they can’t decipher, and tribulations they’ve never experienced, Scott Rinning writes and sings about that which he knows: his own life, experiences and ideas. As singer/songwriter/ guitarist for Glaswegian quartet, The Cinematics, Rinning incorporates his everyman sensibilities of love, life, and liberty into the band’s broody post-punk-meets-90’s Brit pop sound of harmony and sonic greatness (think Echo and the Bunnymen crossed with Pulp).
“Our music has a direction and depth. I am an entertainer, but our music is more than just entertainment...it’s got backbone and meaning.” says Rinning from his Glasgow residence, as he busily prepares for a Berlin show the next day. Indeed The Cinematics deliver music that, even upon first listen, reaches out to the audience and breaks the confines of a much-populated UK music scene in search of more than just commercial success and brief pop stardom.
“So many bands want to rebel against the mainstream, finding things that aren’t on the conveyor belt.” Rinning continues. “There is much more to music than this.” It seems that much of the music community has certainly lost focus on the changing power of music. Its importance as art and as poetry has been neglected for pop stardom or superficial reinterpretations of another man’s greatness.
“The music you listen to has a profound impact. For me...Jeff Buckley or Echo and the Bunnymen...but I’m not going to copy it. You should pull things apart, make it very personal and put it together in your image. It’s the ideas and concepts behind music and my experiences that influence me. That’s what I want my music to do for others. I want the listener to put themselves into the music, and have a personal interpretation of the music.”
The Cinematics’ album, A Strange Education, begins with the flowing movement of “Race to the City.” Cascading guitars, funky bass, and Rinning’s boyish croon, much like Morrissey, propel the album’s opener:
You have to be rich/richer than your father
Everything would be alright if you had some fun
Everything has limits/ if you keep this on
You’ll be back where you started/ you can’t get enough
You can race to the city now/ Oh come on city life is a lie.
Rinning desperately urges his listeners to look beyond the materialism and urbanization of modern life. “Money-making has become the sole purpose of life, but when it really comes down to it, money really doesn’t make you happy. You have to think about your purpose in life. You can’t change yourself for others.”
Even from the beginning of the album it’s clear that he wants to see change not only in music, but in modern life as well. “To be modern you’re supposed to hate what you like and like what you’re supposed to.” Rinning and The Cinematics’ music is a personal reflection of their lives and experiences; of what they know and love. Music may come and go, but what you do to make music different and individualized stays forever.
“Music is something I discovered, it wasn’t forced upon me. Music allows me to escape the world around me.” Rinning says. A Strange Education may not be drastically different from the sound of current British music, but its purpose and power is definitely more far-reaching. The Cinematics yearn to break from the usual expectations of modern UK music, the media constantly in search of the “next big thing.” What they often miss are the subtleties and nuances that make a band completely different from their peers. The Cinematics have a bold statement for anyone desiring change and individuality in the music they listen to. It’s a refreshing change.
Wes Barker
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THE CINEMATICS 's A STRANGE EDUCATION is released 03/02/07 on TVT Records.
http://www.thecinematics.com
http://www.tvtrecords.com
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